Dear Tom and Ray: I have a 2000 Toyota Corolla. It runs really well, especially since it has 180,000 miles on it. However, the paint is coming off, and it looks horrible. What is an economical way to get it painted? I plan to keep it for two more years. - Karen

Tom: Have you ever heard of Rustoleum or Krylon, Karen?

Ray: Actually, there's not a great solution to your problem. A number of cars from this era experience this peeling paint syndrome, which we call "delamination." It typically occurs on the hood, the roof and the trunk.

Tom: The reason it happens is that, at that time, car makers were switching over to more environmentally friendly paints; paints with fewer volatile organic compounds.

Ray: The problem was, they didn't really know what they were doing with the new paints yet, and some of the paint jobs failed, catastrophically.

Tom: If you were lucky enough to catch it early, when you were still at least within shouting distance of your warranty period, you could make a good case to the manufacturer that it should repaint the car for you. But that's a harder case to make (successfully) when the car has been on the road for 14 years and has 180,000 miles on it.

Ray: Still, it's worth a try. You can go to your dealer and say: "Look, I bought a Toyota because they're supposed to last forever, and mechanically, it has lived up to that reputation. I love the car. But look at it. Does Toyota think it's normal or acceptable for paint to just peel off its cars while they're still on the road?"

Tom: I doubt they'll respond by ushering your car right into the body shop and telling you it's on them. But if you acknowledge that it's an older car now, you can still ask them if there's anything they can do to help.

Ray: Maybe, if they're real humanitarians, they'll try to help you pay for part of the cost of a paint job.

Tom: But a paint job is likely to be several thousand dollars, Karen, because it does require removing the existing paint with a scraper or random orbit sander, which is very time-consuming work.

Ray: I think it's worth getting a few estimates. But I think you'll probably get sticker shock. And if you can't get financial help from Toyota and don't want to make the investment yourself, you can either live with it (which is what I'd do), or improvise, which might make the car look worse.

Tom: Personally, I like contact paper, Karen. That way, you can hide the delaminating paint and make an artistic statement at the same time!

Method of transmission fluid change questioned

Dear Tom and Ray: What is the best way to have transmission fluid changed? Around 2002, I had my transmission fluid changed by the recycle method at a quick-change oil place. About a week later, the transmission went completely out at a cost of a couple of thousand dollars. After selling that car, I bought another used car and wanted to have the transmission fluid changed. From that first experience, I decided to have it changed by dropping the pan and changing the filter. I now have a 2005 Chrysler 300C that needs the transmission fluid changed. What do you recommend? - Jim

Ray: We like the recycling method. A machine is hooked up to your transmission's cooler lines, and then, as the transmission pumps out the old fluid, the machine replaces it with all brand-new fluid.

Tom: Then the machine attaches to the wallet of the customer and extracts payment. That's why we like it so much.

Ray: Using the old-fashioned method of "dropping (i.e., removing) the pan" is acceptable, but it always leaves old fluid in the torque converter. Your "new" transmission fluid is still, at best, only ¾ new.

Tom: There's a myth that we've been hearing forever that changing the transmission fluid on an old car will hasten the demise of its transmission. People will say, "I knew a guy with an old car who changed his transmission fluid, and a week later, the transmission died."

Ray: That's what Jim says.

Tom: Oh. So it is. In my opinion, any transmission that dies soon after a fluid change was almost certainly on death's doorstep before the change.

Ray: I mean, when do most people with old heaps suddenly decide they need to change their transmission fluid? When the transmission starts acting up, right?

Tom: That's probably what happened with you, too, Jim. So, if your transmission is already slipping or making hard shifts, a fluid change is not going to be a long-term, miracle cure.

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